Sál eiga Dreki
by Kudalyn
Summary: Canon, Post-HTTYD2: New adventures, trials, and characters. It's been a few months since the Battle of the Bewilderbeast, and Hiccup has had to learn a lot in a short amount of time. Those new skills are going to be put to the test, and everything he knows about dragons is going to change - again. [Not slash, crossposted on Tumblr]
1. Mornings and Storms

_Hey! Decided to post this on FA as well, because of future chapters._

_BEFORE YOU READ THIS, I want you to go read **Nightfall** by **Le'letha** here on FF. NOW. It is the amazing story that inspired me to write this, and inspired my own character. If you want to understand ways I write the future chapters a bit better, read that bind-blowing story, PLEASE._

_Now that I've said that, please enjoy!_

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><p>Birds sang in the trees as the early-morning sun sent glowing shafts of light through the foliage. A patch of bushes rustled as they were shoved aside, a figure muttering lowly to itself as it picked berries from the low branches.<p>

Popping a few ripe ones into her mouth, the girl sat back on her flanks, poking at the wildberries that were piled high in the wooden bowl in her hand. Deeming the pile large enough, she lurched upward into a somewhat bipedal pose, keeping one hand close to the ground as she loped through the underbrush.

Easily clearing a fallen log and skirting a few large boulders, she hopped into a clearing. Set into a small cliffside was a cave - a few caves, to be exact, but just one was close enough to the ground that she could lift herself into it.

She rolled over the lip of the cave, somehow managing to not spill a single berry from the bowl. Once on her feet again, she called out an odd sound - a sort of hooting trill that echoed a little against the stone. A long shape in the shadows shifted, and a dragon head lifted from its folds of scales, smacking its jaws sleepily and letting out a wide yawn with its tongue uncurling from a fang-rimmed mouth.

The girl chortled and placed a berry upon its forked tongue; the dragon immediately withdrew it with a snort. The beast eyed her sleepily as it rolled the berry in its mouth; she merely grinned cheekily at the dragon as she began to stuff more berries into her own mouth.

The dragon sighed and uncoiled itself - seemingly endless lengths of scales and wings shifting about in the half-light, 'till it finally filled the back end of the cave, resting itself on its forepaws. The girl trilled out a welcoming sort of chirp, the dragon's similar reply punctured by yet another yawn. The girl stifled her own echoed yawn, chuckling under her breath as she poured the rest of the berries into her mouth and dropped the bowl on the stone floor with a clatter.

She crawled over to the other end of the cave, searching through a mound of furs piled onto a low wooden pallet. She chattered a constant stream of sounds to the dragon as she searched, excited noises that to any human would have been gibberish, but to herself and the dragon - they were much more than that.

A greeting squawk echoed from the entrance of the cave and both girl and dragon looked on to see a Nadder peering into the cave happily. The girl replied with an identical squawk, speeding up her search and practically throwing the furs on the pallet all over the cave before she finally found what she had been looking for - even more fur.

This fur was different however, and she draped it across her shoulders with a triumphant cry and began pulling her head through the hole in the middle. She played with it as she skipped to the entrance of the cave, getting it turned around the right way and pulling the straps under the fur over her arms as her dragon cleaned up behind her, picking up the discarded sleeping furs with its mouth and placing them back on the pallet.

She hopped up to the Nadder and rubbed her face against the dragon's nose, the dragon chirping happily and snuffling at the girl's short scrappy hair. The two started an excited bobbing dance, communicating about the beautiful morning through head dips and shakes as the serpentine dragon emerged into the sunlight from behind the girl.

He leaned down and gave her a few affectionate licks, causing her hair to stick straight up as she turned around and wrapped her arms around his nose. She pressed her face into his, murmuring low, happy noises that the dragon eagerly returned. Letting go, she stepped under his jaw and rubbed her face against his smooth, small scales, feeling the dragon's rumbles through his warm throat.

The Nadder stepped back as the girl and her dragon wrapped themselves around each other - one quite literally as the girl found herself sufficiently tied up with the dragon's sky-blue coils. They sat there contentedly in the sun for a few moments, the Nadder preening itself to keep itself occupied until the two were satisfied with the morning ritual.

The pair now covered in each other's scents, the girl patted the dragon's side and warbled a question, the dragon obliging and releasing his tight but not uncomfortable grip. The dragon and the Nadder sniffed at one another in greeting, the Nadder bowing its head and the serpentine dragon tipping its head in return.

The girl grinned and grabbed at the furs around her neck, pulling up a large hood - and a sky-blue, dragon-faced mask attached to it. She pulled it over her face, the horns set into the fur bristling with her movement as she made sure the mask was securely held over her face.

She looked up at her dragon, and he chuffed as he leaned down enough for the girl to pull herself onto his back, settling into the crudely made saddle that was tied there. The Nadder squawked excitedly, and above their heads happy roars were heard, as more dragons were waking up and turning their faces to the morning sun.

The girl leaned around at the same time her dragon peered back at her, and they grinned the same wide-toothed smile.

The nest was awake.

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><p>"Hiccup! This is crazy! We need to turn back!" Astrid had to practically scream to be heard over the storm, icy winds clawing at her cheeks and braid.<p>

"No! We have to keep trying - they have to be out here somewhere!" Hiccup yelled back, eyes squinting against the rain even through his leather helmet. He tried to keep his eyes glued to the steel grey ocean beneath them, but it was hard when the wind kept dragging at him and Toothless like chains.

On Hiccup's other side, Snotlout and Hookfang weren't faring much better. Rain poured down from the Nightmare's wings in sheets. "Hiccup, you may be the Chief, but I'm not afraid to tell you that this is ridiculous! We're getting nowhere, and the ship is nowhere in sight! They've probably capsized by now!" He slurred out, his jaw frozen in the cold winds.

Hiccup's grip tightened on the handles on Toothless' saddle, Astrid wheeling Stormfly up and around to cuff Snotlout in the ear as she scolded him.

Hiccup had been named Chief for barely a few months, and he hadn't been taking the responsibility lightly. But with the title came a whole new slew of problems, so on top of his weekly Dragon Training classes with new recruits at the Academy, he also had to delegate and direct the entire village, the inhabitants of which couldn't seem to take two steps without asking him for direction.

At least it seemed that way to him, though he knew better. His friends had been helping him out the best they could, even with their own responsibilities. Even Eret had been accepted into the group - a bit too eagerly on Ruffnut's behalf - but the extra hand had been a welcoming addition, along with his experience as a leader of his ex-dragon trapper lackeys.

But it was still so much all at once for Hiccup. He hadn't been able to have a relaxing flight with Toothless in weeks before a nagging guilt would begin to settle into the back of his mind, and he'd find himself steering the grumbling Night Fury back to Berk.

And now the first chance they've had to fly for longer than half an hour, and it was in the middle of a furious storm as they tried to locate a missing fishing vessel. The village had been warned of the storm thanks to Bucket's howling, and dragons had been sent out to retrieve fishing fleets, but one dragon and rider came back without ship in tow. They hadn't been able to find it, the ship nowhere near the estimated coordinates.

And as his responsibility, Hiccup and the others had flown out even as the storm clouds rolled over Berk, the group splitting up with each of the Tracker dragons respectively. But the rain had all but washed out any scent that Stormfly could have possibly found, and they were now practically flying blind in the middle of a howling maelstrom.

"Hiccup, they'll be fine. It's too dangerous to be out here for much longer, our dragons are getting tired." He vaguely heard Astrid call to him over on Snotlout's side, his focus split between trying to find the lost ship, and trying to NOT think about things he's done wrong the past few months. It's a bad habit he's been feeding in his desire to try and metaphorically fill his father's enormous shoes.

"Just a bit longer. I'm sure we'll find them!" Hiccup cried out, hunkering down on Toothless' back even further. The black dragon rumbled underneath him, in agreement with Astrid but unwilling to disagree with his rider.

Astrid could only make a noise of dissent, trying to hang on to Stormfly's saddle tighter despite barely being able to feel her fingers. She shook her head, both at Hiccup's stubbornness and also to shake her rain-soaked fringe from her eyes, and looked up at the horizon.

And practically screamed.

"HICCUP, SNOTLOUT!" She cried, tugging sharply up on Stormfly's saddle as the dragon bucked in reply, stopping short as best as she could in the strong winds. Hookfang obeyed Astrid's command, halting suddenly and causing Snotlout to buck forwards in his saddle and curse, lifting the fallen helmet out of his eyes and gaping.

Hiccup hadn't heard her however, too absorbed in his search and his thoughts. He shot past the two of them on Toothless -

Right towards an enormous waterspout. The howling winds were muffled by Hiccup's helmet, and he didn't look up till Toothless let out a frightened howl, his wings trying to brace against the tugging winds. He swore as the waterspout bore down on them with frightening speed, and despite their quick roundabout, the gale caught Toothless' wings and sucked them backwards.

Hiccup got a last glance at Astrid and Snotlout before the storm whisked him and his dragon away, the sight of Astrid's pale, shocked face burned into his eyes. Toothless was screaming, the wind tugging and pulling at his wings and fins terribly despite his best efforts to control his flight. Hiccup hung on as tight as he could, feeling the leather and metal under him creak and groan under the force as he tried to keep himself tight to Toothless' back.

The storm bit and tore at them relentlessly, whipping them around like they were nothing, disorienting and exhausting them. The thunder roared around them like a monster, lightning licking at them and illuminating terrifying shapes in the clouds.

Suddenly, Hiccup heard and felt a sharp snap, one of the straps that locked him to Toothless' saddle breaking under the strain. Hiccup was flung upright as a sharp wind took advantage of the weakness, and Hiccup felt the second strap snap as well. His fingers were wrenched from the saddle's handles, and he was flung halfway off Toothless' saddle, his right foot slipping from the stirrup.

His left foot was still locked into Toothless' gears however, and with Hiccup's extra weight the two of them were spun around and played with, at mercy to the storm. Toothless' wings and claws buffeted Hiccup, his dragon desperately trying to get a protective grip on its rider, but the wind wouldn't allow it.

Hiccup could barely hear himself yelling over the screaming winds, his leg feeling like it was being dislocated as he was flung about. The small harness and straps that kept his peg leg tied to his calf were digging into his skin, the storm attempting to pull it off with force.

He felt a sharp pain as Toothless' claws dug into his left leg in an effort to pull him towards him, a wave of emotions bubbling over as he felt the same terror, the same fear that had ripped through him before in a similar situation.

Yet again, luck was not on their side, and Toothless' claws sliced through the already strained leather of the foot's harness, and Hiccup was torn away from his desperate dragon. He screamed Toothless' name as he plummeted downwards, buffeted by the wind and watching as Toothless' form grew smaller and smaller, the dragon being blown away despite his valiant efforts.

Hiccup could only listen to the Night Fury's fading roars, the wind whisking the sound away as he plummeted. In a last ditch effort, Hiccup righted himself and slotted his arms into his flight suit's wing-straps, but only the right wing was pulled open – Toothless' attempts at saving Hiccup had unfortunately shredded the straps on his left side.

The wind eagerly caught at his one good wing, spiralling him about and causing Hiccup to absolutely lose his bearings, his vision filled with alternating views of sky-sea-sky-sea. Finally, and with barely any notice, Hiccup was plunged into the roiling seas, the ocean now the one in control as it grabbed at his open wing and pulled him under.

With what little air Hiccup had in his lungs, he untied the straps on his right arm, the leather wing now fluttering useless behind him in the dark waters. He kicked and fought, feeling the salt water sting his wounds and the coldness seeping into his exposed stump.

He managed to break the surface, but only got a single gasp of air before a wave doused him, dunking him under and making him fight upwards again. Again, he surfaced and gasped for air, the seawater trying to pour into his lungs. He began yelling for Toothless, for Astrid, for anyone to come save him - but no one came. The storm was too fierce.

His precious leather suit was making it difficult to stay afloat, the metal and cloth heavy in the freezing waters. Each time he managed to get himself above the water, it felt like there was less and less time for him to catch his breath; the more the water pulled at him, the more the cold seeped into his bones.

Finally, his vision blurred from the seawater, his throat hoarse from yelling, his limbs heavy with fatigue, with one last whimper - he slipped below the waves. His eyes slid closed as he watched his breath stream from his mouth in small bubbles, the dark greenness of the ocean washing over him. As he lost consciousness, faces flickered through his mind, of the people he loved.

And how he had let them down.

Deeply unconscious, he didn't feel the pressure that gently came pushed under his back, lifting him up and carrying him away from the stormy seas.

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><p>The sky was beautiful. A pure, deep blue punctuated artfully by the occasional bright fluffy cloud, the wind gentle and rolling.<p>

In the air, the two were one. The girl hung on joyfully to her dragon's neck, fingers pressed against the smooth scales as she felt the ecstatic rumbles that poured from his chest. Gripping the wooden handle that made up the reigns of the saddle, she tugged backwards, encouraging and leading her dragon into a reverse freefall, the open sky filling their vision.

They let out an excited roar in unison, flipping around into a sharp nosedive while they curved upwards, the dragon's six wings carving through the air expertly. Spinning around in a tight spiral, they banked, dipped, and soared through the skies like the wind itself.

This was what it meant to live. To be at one with each other, with the sky and the sun and the wind at their backs and surrounding them, the ocean just a blue-green smudge beneath them that peeked through the clouds occasionally.

The girl felt her grip slipping however, unable to hang on for long in such extreme maneuvers. This was usual though, and she shrieked a warning to her dragon before letting go, the wind snatching her and carrying her down. She righted herself, spreading her arms and legs wide as her furs flapped wildly around her, her mask pressed tight to her face.

She wasn't afraid. Not in the least, not in their element. She turned her head and spotted her other self, plummeting downwards right beside her with an expression of bliss across his snout. He smiled at her, and the two of them spiralled around one another with practiced ease.

The fall allowed the girl to regain some stamina, the two of them miles above the ocean surface. With plenty of time to spare, the dragon turned his back to the girl, and she slotted herself back into the saddle. She tugged on the reigns again, signalling that she was seated, and the two of them lifted up into a more level flight, the dragon folding in his four smaller wings and allowing the wind to carry them along gently.

She stretched, letting go of the reigns to extend her arms to the sky, her legs wrapped around the dragon's slim neck for stability. She gave a satisfied chirr, which the dragon returned. The two of them relaxed, catching their breath and allowing their hearts time to calm.

Soaring through a thick bank of clouds, the two of them broke through into a clear spot of sky. The dragon came up short, pulling up as the girl grabbed for the reigns again.

Before them was a solid stormfront. The stormclouds were dark and angry, thick and roiling in contrast to the almost friendly clouds behind them. A strong swatch of wind had split the storm from their skies, keeping it at bay and moving it around their territory.

They watched the storm roar and threaten them, thunder rumbling like a caged beast, lightning flashing like flame. The girl gripped at the saddle, whistling a concerned note to her dragon. Most days they were unafraid of storms, enjoying the challenge that the dark and the rain brought to their flight.

This storm was dangerous, however. It wasn't to be trifled with, the two together feeling the storm winds pulling and trying to suck them into its cavernous maw.

They did a roundabout and fled, ducking into the bright clouds that protected their nest and the sun that encouraged their flight back home.

They knew when not to challenge something. Experience had taught them not to bite off more than they could chew, and there was nothing dishonourable about fleeing a battle you could not win.

Especially with a storm as vicious as a monster.

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><p><em>If you couldn't gather, the title means 'Soul of a Dragon' in Old Norse,or more literally - (sál = soul) (eiga = have the power to, possession, own) (dreki = dragon). It's the closest I could think oftranslate from the english title. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!_

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Soulmates and Sand

_Chapter twooo!_

_This chapter wouldn't have happened without **Nefer-T** and **CuriosityRedux**' wonderful proofreading and editing. It's thanks to them that it got finished and posted! Thanks you two 3_

_Again, please go and read **Nightfall** by **Le'letha**. It's the inspiration for this story, and for many characterizations and the speech patterns that the dragons will use in this story. I don't think I can pull it off quite as well as Le'letha so gloriously does, so please, go read it! You won't be dissapointed!_

_Now, onto the show!_

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><p>Back at home, the two-who-are-one land with their usual lack of grace, but they do not mind, for they have no one to impress. Cheeks bright red and wind-burnt, she whipped off her mask and hood, and rolled off of her dragon-brother's neck, and flopped to the lush grass with a laugh. Flupp gave his whole body a good shake that rippled along his body from head to tailtip, before he turned his head around and pressed his nose into her midriff. The serpentine dragon began nuzzling it about and tickled a long stream of high-pitched giggles from she who was, to him, a small dragon.<p>

Unn batted playfully at Flupp's head, eventually pushing him away enough so he would stop tickling her. She chirped out _flying flying good fun yes!_ to him repeatedly, her eyes bright with excitement and joy, and he replied _yes flying good yes_, happily.

She rolled onto her belly, stretching out and groaning _good sun warm flying happy good yesssss_ as she dug her small-claws into the grass with satisfaction. Flupp-_brother_ gently grabbed her tail with his mouth when she was done, lifting her up and setting her back on her hind paws. Unn dusted off the dirt and grass from her fur, picking a stray bug off of it before turning back to her dragon and pressing herself against his throat.

_Day sun good explore hunt maybe?_ She trilled out at him, and she could feel his reply against her cheek, his smooth scales warm against soft-skin. _Explore hunt later maybe rest now_, he grumbled, and settled himself down in the clearing by their cave. He stretched himself out to full length with content, ruffling his wings out a little to be able to soak in the sun that shone through the treetops.

Unn crawled over to his side and flops against him, propping herself up on her rear and settling her head back on Flupp's body with her face turned to the sun. A slow smile stretched over her face as she listened to his heart beating through his back, his heart-fire warming her back and the sun warming her front.

Today was a good day, as have been many days past. They wake, they say good morning to the nest, and they fly. They fly as one, around and up and down and any way imaginable, and it is good. Unn can't imagine having a life any different than this one, and she is grateful for each day that dawns.

Leaning against her dragon-_brother_, she hummed_ happy me good us together love content delight together_, and Flupp hummed _together together love you we us_ back at her. Their sounds combined into one harmonious sound, one that they liked to make to each other often.

It is how they reminded each other of their love, although they hardly needed to be reminded of such an obvious and true thing. It is who they are, and it is who they will always be.

After their song faded into the forest, they sat in comfortable silence for a while before Flupp spoke again. _Storm not good not like dangerous_ he thrummed, gaze focused through the trees in the direction they had flown from. The storm they had met still worried him, itching at his memory like a small insect.

Unn turned her head but didn't lift it, eyes searching his concerned expression.

_Wind safe nest storm no here far away nest safe_, she chittered, reaching a front paw over to rub his scales soothingly. The storm was scary, but it was far away from their nest, the good winds blowing it away and keeping them safe. Its claws and teeth cannot get to them here. Flupp purred, _yes nest safe good_, back at her, but didn't pull his gaze from the horizon beyond the trees.

Unn sighed, dropping her paw to her lap and getting herself comfortable again.

She wasn't worried. Sometimes storms blew through their nest, but they were never strong, never have been and never will be. Their home is protected by good winds, friendly strong winds that keep them safe and fill their wings.

They hadn't sunned for much longer than a moment when a familiar squawk came from overhead. Unn opened her eyes and rose to her front paws just as Mother-of-Nest landed near them. The sea-green dragon trotted over to them with an uneasy gait, her head and wings twitching nervously.

_Danger danger worried!_ Mother-of-Nest chirped, yellow eyes contracted into a slit, and Unn and Flupp were instantly on alert.

_Threat danger where defend attack where?! _They barked out in unison, and Mother-of-Nest stepped back at their ferocity.

_Sea-swimmers sand-meets-water find Viking storm no good no move help!_ She chattered out, wings open and ready to take to the air again. At the word Viking, Unn sneered and Flupp snorted.

_Viking no good no,_ Unn spat out, flopping back onto her haunches. She had sworn long ago tat she'd never lift a paw to help one of those dragon-killer-trappers. With their sharp long-claws and their wing-snaggers and their hand-stones, she's had to fight off and rescue many of her dragon-kin, nest-mates or not.

Mother-of-Nest wasn't dissuaded however. She hopped forward and nipped near Unn's hind paws, making to grab the small dragon anxiously. Unn withdrew her paws, grumbling irritably towards the bigger dragon.

_Yes Sea-swimmers find Viking Sea-cousins ask help help!_ She insisted, obviously on the fence about the sea-cousins' request, but anxious to assist. There was a reason she was called Mother-of-Nest despite not having laid her own brood yet – due to her intense motherly instinct for nearly all creatures. Even Vikings - which has proved to be both a good thing and a bad thing in the past.

Flupp growled towards Mother-of-Nest. _No help Viking no good kill danger nest No!, _He snapped, snorting out the last sound with finality. He settled back into the grass with an exaggerated air, turning his head away to make a point. At his side, Unn mimicked him, her nose turned to the sky.

Mother-of-Nest looked between the two stubborn dragons, shifting on her feet anxiously. Coming to a decision, she darted forward, and managed to snatch one of Unn's hind paws in her mouth. Hooking the paw in her mouth between her teeth, the dragon picked the shrieking small dragon up and started waddling away as fast as she dared, not wanting to jostle Unn too much but still determined to carry her off.

Flupp roared indignantly as Mother-of-Nest took off between the trees towards the direction of the beach. He leaped to his multiple feet and dashed off after her, his screeches echoing through the forest.

_Mine no you mine mine comeback!_

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><p>The Viking didn't look good.<p>

Unn and the other dragons hovered over him, casting thick shadows against his body in the mid-day sun.

Unn proded him again with a stick she found on the beach, and the Viking didn't even flinch.

_Where find where how?_ She asked again, using the stick to lift up one of the Viking's limp front paws, and the Sea-cousins hovering behind them sigh.

_Find storm strong bite storm fight Viking fall no swim_, Water Spout growled out, and Deep Swimmer nodded beside him.

Unn laughed disbelievingly, a sound somewhere between a human's laugh and a dragon's chuff. She imagined the stupid Viking had probably just fallen out of those wooden ships that they build to try and cross the sea. It happened often.

_Truth no lie Viking fall sky fall water no breath we help,_ Deep Swimmer thrummed out, puffing his chest before looking down at the sodden Viking worriedly.

One of the things mentioned by Deep Swimmer caught Unn's attention. _Sky fall sky how?_ She questioned, squinting up at the long-necked dragons. Vikings don't fly. They don't even have wings!

_Viking fly Night-Flier flying-with!_ Deep Swimmer burst out excitedly before Water Spout could even open his mouth. Unn's eyes bugged out as Water Spout shoved the other dragon and growled at him in annoyance, having wanted to be the one to tell of the discovery.

A Viking? On a Night-Flier with a Flying-with? She and Flupp looked at each other simultaneously, then over at the rough harness she made to make it easier for them to fly together as one, still strapped to his back.

After many bad attempts at learning to fly together, way back when Unn was still a hatchling and she had just met Flupp, she had made their flying-with by using things she could easily get her paws onto. A bit of straw, some leather straps stolen from Viking homes on raids, some Viking metal as well. She had even stolen something that looked like their flying-with, but it was meant for the large hoofed creatures that some Viking nests had.

She had first tried putting that one on Flupp, but the straps couldn't be pulled tight enough, and it had rubbed against his scales painfully. So she made her own. It wasn't very strong, and needed to be fixed and replaced often, but it was good.

Unn leaned close over the Viking and squinted hard at him. She gave him a good look over - he seemed to be fairly tall, and young, she gathered from the fact that his face wasn't as bristly with the fur that most Viking males seemed to be extremely proud over. The fur atop his head was a sort of rich brown that she hadn't seen before, much more red and full of color than her own head-fur was. He wore very many layers of different colors of leather, many straps and strips and patterns. She traced the leather that covered his abdomen with her stick, noting the dragon-like scales that were sewn into the surface and leaving grains of sand across it.

Her eyes traveled further down, following the straps of leather that seem to have no other use than to be excessive on his legs, when she whistled in shock. One of his hind legs - he was missing a paw!

Dropping the stick, she grabbed the Viking's leg to see how serious the wound is, but then she let out an unintentional whuff of relief. It was an old wound. The hind leg had long since neatly healed over, his limb ending in a neat cap where the skin had been pulled over to protect and heal. The only physical injuries that she found on him were what looked like claw marks gouged along the calf, still slowly bleeding but not seriously.

_Scratch bite you you?_ she quirked to the Sea-cousins, and they shook their heads.

_No us scratch bite no_ whistled Deep Swimmer, while Water Spout grumbled _us no Night Flier maybe? _under his breath.

Leaning back down over the Viking, she stilled for a moment and watched his chest – it didn't move. He isn't breathing. Unn knew that if something stopped breathing for too long, they wouldn't wake up again.

_Viking dead no breath dead_, she said with finality, poking the unconscious body again with her stick that she had picked back up. Good riddance, in her opinion.

_No dead heart beat alive help!_ Deep Swimmer roared out, stomping a webbed claw in the sand. Unn scowled at him as Mother-of-Nest leand over the Viking and sniffed him.

_True no lie alive heartsound small alive_, she chuffed out quietly, and Unn glared at the unconscious Viking as if her gaze could set him ablaze. With another sharp prod from her stick, she scuffled back from him a few cautious steps.

_No help,_ she ground out, and to her surprise, the dragons turned and scowled at her. Flupp growled back at them in response, pressing up behind Unn defensively.

_Confused why help Viking no good Viking why?!_ Unn whined out at the opposing dragons, backing up into Flupp's comforting side. She was completely baffled – after all the bad that Vikings have done to their kin, why are they so adamant on this one?

Water Spout looked down at the Viking thoughtfully for a moment.

_...Different_, he finally said, and Deep Swimmer nodded in agreement again.

_Different how different?_ Flupp asked questioningly, and if dragons could shrug both dragons would have.

_Viking different Unn different flying-with?_ Deep Swimmer ventured, and flinched at the a vicious hiss that broke from the smallest dragon.

_Unn no Viking Unn dragon!_ She spat, baring her fangs furiously at the Sea-cousin and raising her hackles. How dare he even suggest that a Viking be similar to Unn! Unn is the one and only special small dragon, with the clever paws and the smart ideas and the biggest dreams. No other creature is like her, Viking or dragon or anything in between. She felt a twinge of hurt echo in her chest at the Sea-cousin's comparison.

Deep Swimmer shied back immediately. _No no Unn dragon Unn dragon yes yes!_ He burbled, hiding halfway behind his brother. He did not mean to upset his nest-mate, nor suggest such a thing.

_Viking flying-with Night-Flier Viking dragon?_ He tried again, attempting to get his thoughts across cleanly.

Unn allowed herself to calm, accepting the Sea-cousin's apology and stewing over his suggestion. If this Viking flies with dragons the same way Unn does, perhaps he is actually a special but different small dragon as well, confused and lost from where he belongs. No Viking could ever fly with a dragon.

She looked down at the Viking in a new light. Perhaps... as crazy as that sounded, for she was the only small clever dragon she's ever known of. She leaned down close over the Viking's face, noticing that his lips were turning blue. She guessed that wasn't a good sign.

Thinking for a second, she leaned back on her haunches – and brought her fist down sharply on the Viking's chest. His frame rocked a little, but the leather breastplate he wore absorbed most of the pressure.

Frowning, she brought another fist down on his chest, a bit stronger this time. He winced slightly, but nothing else.

Growling angrily, Unn clasped both hands together, lifted them up high, and slammed them down on the Viking's chest as hard as she could.

The Viking jolted, before spraying a mouthful of seawater into Unn's face. She shrieked, leaping back and wiping her face off indignantly as the Viking choked and gurgled feebly. Unn scowled and skipped closer, quickly digging her front paws under the sand and flipping him onto his side, where the Viking promptly began emptying his chest all over the beach.

Satisfied, she danced back a few paces again, the other dragons doing the same but keeping an eye on the prone Viking. He was gasping for air, but at least was fighting for his breath. She whistled a warning sharply at Mother-of-Nest, whom was inching closer to the heaving Viking. No matter what strange things the Sea-cousins might suggest, she wasn't going to take any chances yet.

Eventually the Viking's breathing began leveling out, and he feebly propped himself up on his forearms.

Unn set her jaw and pulled her hood up, flipping her mask over her face protectively. Behind her, Flupp sniffed at her anxiously, making sure the Viking hadn't been hiding anything in his mouth.

Unn chirped reassuringly at her dragon-_brother_, and scampered a fair distance away to some sea-rocks, crawling up on the nearest one and crouching on her haunches. Flupp crawled up behind her and took a menacing stance towards the wakening stranger.

Now to see if the Viking - if it was a Viking - posed a threat.

* * *

><p>Hiccup was NOT having a good day.<p>

The first thing he recalled was a pounding on his chest. That was just barely before his body realized it couldn't breathe, and his next few lucid moments involved him choking to death. Someone or something flipped him over, and he began gratefully emptying his lungs and his stomach of seawater, barely registering the hot sand under his hands.

After a short struggle he was finally able to take a clear breath, which he gulped down like fresh water. He crouched on what he assumed was a beach, urging his pounding head to calm and his thoughts to realign themselves.

He vaguely remembered the color gray, and echoes of Toothless' terrified roars bounced around his head before his memories finally got themselves in order.

A storm. A horrible storm, that he had flown right into like a moron. The wind, the cold, the pain as Toothless clawed at him desperately... Toothless!

"TOOTHLESS!" He cried out. Or, he tried to, but what came out of his stripped throat sounded more like the singing of a squashed frog.

Hiccup croaked a few more times, his wobbling arms nearly giving out on him as he turned himself over. Flopping onto the sand, he winced as the bright sun shone through his eyelids.

Suddenly, he felt a shadow dip across him, and he blearily blinked his eyes open.

It took him a moment to focus on who – or what – was standing over him. A few more hazy blinks, and it registered in his oxygen-deprived mind that it was the shape of a dragon – two, actually. Scauldrons, judging by the long necks and bulbous eyes at the front of their snouts.

He groaned and screwed his eyes shut, for the sun was glaring at him again. Hiccup lifted himself up on trembling arms, slowly, until he was in a sitting position. The sun – it was bright. Mid-day at least, judging by how harsh the glare was. He squinted upwards and saw that the two Scauldrons that had been inspecting him had stepped back warily, one of them letting a low growl that shuddered through its jowls.

"H-hey..." Hiccup said quietly, his voice coming out scratchy. He lifted a hand to rub at his face, noticing just in time that it was coated in sand - his entire body was. He groaned again, this time in aggravation, and he dusted his hands together to dislodge the sand grains.

The dragons were still in a defensive position. In order to approach them, Hiccup raised his palms to them in a submissive gesture. "Hey - hey, it's ok... I'm not a threat. I won't hurt you." He murmured in the low, soothing tone he uses to calm down new dragons at the Academy.

The growling dragons stopped abruptly, both looking surprised at his unthreatening body language, and low tone of voice. A still moment passed, and both dragons took a step forward, eyes wide and curious.

But before they could take another step, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Shocked, Hiccup whirled his head around to look in the direction it came from, ignoring the ache that throbbed at the base of his skull at the quick movement.

He expected another dragon, and that's what he got - and more. A long, winding dragon posed intimidatingly on the beach a few paces from where he sat, and perched upon a large boulder in front of it was... a human?

At least he assumed it to be a human, from its long slim limbs and vaguely bipedal form. It was a bit hard to tell under the enormous mantle of fur it was wearing though, which cloaked its form and broke up its silhouette. The furs were draped over the figure's head in a hood and cloak and, sprouting from the white, dappled fur, were horns. Deer horns, Hiccup's mind supplied, though he'd never seen many deer in his life. They weren't native on Berk, and only in recent years in his adventuring had he found the animal in droves on farther islands.

Some bright Nadder spikes bristled on the sides of the hood, and the figure's face was covered in a mask - a bright blue, intimidating mask with the face of a dragon.

The figure was crouched back on its feet in an animal-like manner, and Hiccup was instantly reminded of his first encounter with his mother. This was eerily familiar.

"H-hey! Hi there! Uh - I hope I'm not... imposing or anything but... I don't know how I got here or anything so sorry if this is, YOUR island... hey, you haven't happened to see a Night Fury have you? About yea high - black, big green eyes and a friendly, gummy smile?" Hiccup spouted out nervously, gesturing wildly with his hands before wincing as his sore muscles complained at him.

The figure's head cocked to the side in curiosity, and the dragon behind it growled menacingly. Hiccup took a closer look at the dragon - it was a species he had never seen nor heard of before. Its body was impossibly thin and long, like a snake that had sprouted legs. It had six – six! – legs, each adorned with long fins that sprouted from the feet and arched upwards.

Its slitted eyes were a bright, light blue, and upon its head was what looked like a large flat crest, arching from between its eyes to far past its skull. It had fins that lined its jaws, and along its spine was a long continuous crest of wavy ridges. Its scales were a dazzling sky blue, and its wing tips faded to a dark, night blue dappled with star-like spots. It looked as if the Gods had painted the very sky on its scales.

But the most incredible thing about the dragon was the harness it sported – a basic saddle woven out of thatch, settled between its first set of shoulder blades, and a sort of handled-reign that was tied to its neck.

The human hadn't replied to Hiccup though, and he cleared his throat to try again.

"Uh - hello? Can you understand me? I hope you can, otherwise I'm in real trouble here..." Hiccup chuckled nervously, moving to lurch to his feet. He froze mid-movement however, when he went to place his left foot down - only to find it wasn't there. He grabbed for his leg frantically, his hands flying to cover his exposed stump, fingers investigating the wounds scraped into his leg.

His mind supplied flashes of what had happened - the storm had ripped him from Toothless' saddle, and in desperation to get Hiccup into his paws Toothless had shredded his leg's harness. In his mind's eye he replayed his fall, watching his dragon being swept away in the gale.

"Oh, Toothless..." Hiccup moaned, dropping his head in his hands. He didn't know if his Night Fury had survived - he didn't even know where he himself was! And on top of all that, he couldn't even walk!

Hiccup suddenly heard another sharp whistle from his right, but before he could look up, he felt a gentle nudge against his shoulder. Turning around, he looked right into the nostrils of a brightly colored Nadder, who eyed him concernedly. Hiccup jerked his head back at the close proximity, and the Nadder warbled at him.

He dared to raise a hand up to the Nadder's muzzle, and while it jolted at the movement, it sniffed at his hand before hesitantly nuzzling its nose into his palm.

"Hey there! I didn't even see you... hey..." he mumbled softly, the Nadder chirruping happily as he began scratching under its chin. Hiccup heard yet another noise, this time a sort of biting shriek, before he felt more breath brushing his hair.

He looked up, and both of the Scauldrons had stepped up close and were sniffing him curiously, certainly having realized the human was friendly. Hiccup raised his other hand, and one of the Scauldrons eagerly pressed its nose into his palm, the other grumbling that it was beaten to the punch.

Hiccup laughed. "Hey, hey! Don't worry, there's plenty of rubbing to go around." He said as he did double-time scratching chins, the Nadder warbling with an absolutely blissed expression on its snout.

Suddenly, he felt a spray of sand, and flinched to see a stick protruding straight out of the sand close to his side.

He looked over a dragon's snout, and saw the hooded figure crouched in an angry, aggressive posture, the serpentine dragon mirroring their emotion. The figure's hand was outstretched, as it was obviously the one who had thrown the offending stick. It cried out in an angry, animalistic sound, like a dragon whose tail had been trod on.

The dragons surrounding Hiccup just snorted in reply, blowing hot air around his face and causing him to laugh at the sensation.

The Nadder looked up and trilled out a complicated sequence of sounds towards the figure, whom amazingly replied in a similar, albeit much angrier manner. The serpentine dragon behind it punctuated the sounds with a grunt.

The Nadder simply rolled its eyes and leaned back down to Hiccup, rubbing its chin against the crown of his head almost mockingly. The stranger let out a very offended noise and leapt off the rock, landing on all fours and making as if it was going to storm at Hiccup. Before it got very far though, the serpentine dragon leapt in front of it and snapped as if it were scolding the person, blocking them from view.

Hiccup could only see the person's limbs under the dragon, and he watched as their arms gestured angrily before they disappeared, reappearing over the dragon's back and crouching back on the rock.

The winding dragon turned to Hiccup and the others, and let out a loud roar. The Scauldrons flinched and reluctantly retreated from Hiccup, pulling back and scowling at the offending dragon and the mysterious person before making to head back to the sea.

"W-wait! Wait, please!" Hiccup cried out, flailing his hands and halfway getting up on his right knee. The Scauldrons stopped and turned back to him with curious eyes.

"You're the ones who saved me, weren't you? You brought me here when I was drowning," He said, knowing that the dragons wouldn't completely understand him but, hopefully, they would at least understand his tone of voice.

Both Scauldrons merely blinked at him, so Hiccup continued. "Thank you. Really. I'd be fish bait if it wasn't for you." He said in earnest gratitude. The dragons seemed startled at his smile, but they dipped their heads in unison in an almost "you're welcome" gesture before turning and stepping into the tide.

Hiccup watched them disappear under the surf, and let out a deep sigh. "Well, there goes two ways for me to get home." he said, gesturing out after them. The Nadder was still at his side, however; it purred and nudged him gently.

"You wouldn't happen to be willing to give me a ride home, would you?" He said to it, rubbing its chin gently. The dragon didn't reply. It merely pressed harder into Hiccup's hand, as if asking for more attention, which Hiccup supplied almost absent-mindedly.

He heard a snort from his right again, and turned to frown at the person.

"What is your deal? I mean, sure, I'm an intruder and I nearly died on your beach, but come on! I'm not a threat! I can't even walk!" He shouted out irritably, lifting his stump and gesturing at it. Normally Hiccup would be trying to be much calmer – but after nearly drowning, and losing his dragon, his way, and his leg – his patience had worn out thin.

"I don't even know if you understand me! This could be like talking to a log house for all I know!"

The person bristled, and spat out a few particularly nasty sounding growls in his direction before turning and chirping at the serpentine dragon. It returned the vocalization, walking closer to the person and turning its back to them. The person jumped off the rock and into the saddle with ease, wrapping their legs around the dragon to keep their seat.

They both squawked loudly at the Nadder, whom in reply just turned its back to them and sat down beside Hiccup with finality.

The other dragon snorted at the same time as the person grumbled, before it lifted its second set of legs off the ground, and opened the fins that had been tightly folded against them.

Hiccup gasped. Those were wings! From the way the wings unfurled, Hiccup guessed that the fins on the other sets of legs the dragon had were also wings, just smaller ones, and excellently disguised and tucked away. Six limbs that doubled as wings! He could only guess what sort of complicated coordination that would be necessary to control all of them, especially during flight.

The dragon scanned Hiccup with one last withering look, one that he was sure the person mirrored beneath the mask. Then, with a derisive harrumph, the dragon took off, leaping up and rising into the air easily with a single flap, flying off over the cliffs surrounding the beach and into the trees.

Hiccup looked in the direction they had taken off before heaving a great sigh, propping himself up against the helpful Nadder. The dragon chirruped with concern and leaned down, beginning to preen Hiccup ever so gently, realigning his hair with the sharp tip of its muzzle.

"Thanks... I know you're just trying to cheer me up." He said, reaching up and patting the dragon's horn.

He looked out desolately at the horizon, watching the water lap onto the beach.

He lifted his right arm, flipping the little latch that closed the lid on the compass that was tied to his leather bracer. He looked down at the compass, only to groan disbelievingly. He turned his arm, and a trickle of seawater poured from under the glass of the compass. It would be useless until it dried.

Well, **he** would be useless until the rest of him dried out. Hiccup looked down at his precious flight suit, still half-sodden, sand caked to nearly every Thor-damned inch of himself. He could feel the Nadder behind him dislodging sand particles from his hair as it – she, he guessed from the muzzle's shape – continued to gently preen him.

"... Well. No use sitting around." He sighed, setting his jaw. Putting weight on his right leg and with one hand against the Nadder's flank for stability, he shakily stood up on one leg.

Leaning heavily on the dragon, he glared down at his nonexistant foot.

"This was a great idea! Until this part." He grumbled to himself. The Nadder had pulled back from his hair when Hiccup stood, and was looking at him with bright, curious eyes.

"Hey... I know I already asked you this, but can you give me a ride, girl? Please?" He asked carefully, placing a hand on the Nadder's back. The dragon didn't move, and Hiccup took that as an okay.

But when he leaned into the dragon and lifted his left leg as if to hoist himself onto the Nadder's back, the dragon let out a frightened shriek and stood up, knocking Hiccup off balance and causing him to fall back into the sand on his rear.

"Pfgh-what?! Hey!" Hiccup sputtered, propping himself up on his arms only to watch the Nadder back away from him a few paces. She stopped not too far from him however, pinning him with a suspicious, somewhat frightened gaze.

"Oh, come on! I just need a ride home! That's all I'm asking for! Auuugh!" Hiccup yelled, his patience finally snapping. After weeks of barely any privacy and tense Chiefing duties, of basically sleepless nights and uninterrupted reconstruction works – and, just now, very nearly drowning – he finally allowed himself a small tantrum.

With nobody but a Nadder to watch, he tensely pounded his fists into the sandand flailed about angrily, cursing at his bad luck and bad situation to just about every god from here to Asgard, roaring and yelling until his voice felt coarse yet again. The Nadder merely watched, perhaps somewhat amused, as the boy let off steam.

Only after a while did Hiccup finally calm down. He flopped back upon the sand, defeated, his chest heaving as he glared at the clear white clouds that dared to float cheerfully overhead.

"Stupid storm. Stupid village. Stupid wild dragons and their stupid, crazy, wild person-thing that hates me for no stupid reason," he groaned, rolling himself upright once again. He grimaced at the sand thatcoated his leather suit, brushing off a few of the drier grains. "Stupid sand."

He heaved a long sigh and looked around – the Nadder was now nowhere in sight. "Oh, GREAT! My last chance of getting home quickly just walked off on me while I made a fool of myself. Just. great." He grated, slumping down once again and letting his head drop between his hands.

His throat was sore and dry, and he swore he could feel tears starting to burn at his eyes – though he blamed those on the seawater – when he heard something being dropped in the sand near him.

Hiccup looked up, startled, to see a fairly long and sturdy stick that had been dropped right in front of him. With a happy squawk, the Nadder softly landed nearby, sticking her chest out proudly.

Hiccup drooped his head, relieved that the unhelpful dragon had, at least, not gone away. It was company, if nothing else. "No. No, I don't want to play fetch with you. I'm not in the mood." He moaned out dejectedly, lifting a hand and waving it dismissively at the dragon.

Unperturbed, the Nadder leaned down and nudged the stick insistently toward Hiccup, pushing through the sand until it touched his right foot.

Anger flared in Hiccup's chest. "Look, you stubborn dragon! I do NOT want to play fetch right now! Maybenot ever again, if I even survive long enough to get home somehow!" He roared, reaching over and picking the stick up. He lifted it and pressed one end into the sand, leaning heavily on it and standing upright without thinking.

"It's too stinking big to play fetch with anyways! It's nearly as long as I am! What, do you think I'm suddenly gonna get super-strength and be able to toss this - this..." Hiccup's rant slowed as he looked down at himself.

He was now somewhat standing, leaning on the stick as if it was a staff. It was just long and thick enough to withstand his weight easily without being cumbersome, and he took a few experimental, hobbling steps with it.

He looked up with wonderment at the Nadder, who tilted her head and seemed to smirk ever-so smugly at him. Hiccup let out an incredulous laugh, shaking his head.

"Okay, look. I'm... really sorry," he sighed, shrugging his shoulders regretfully. "I've just... I've been really stressed lately, and then this whole me-nearly-drowning thing really doesn't help, and I just – " Hiccup rambled apologetically, and the Nadder stepped forward and cut him off, nudging him gently and affectionately.

The dragon took a few steps back and chirruped, flapping her wings and dipping her head. She turned and took a few more steps forward, turning and squawking insistently at him. She was beckoning him to follow her.

Hiccup smiled his crooked smile and chuckled, relieved. "You got it, girl."

* * *

><p><em>AN: So, to try and explain a little, Unn and Flupp's relationship is one similar to Toothless and Hiccup's, but not quite as intense. (Nothing can match Toothless and Hiccup's relationship). Theirs is very close, but more of a sibling relationship, bordering on pure soulmates. Not romantic or sexual, but deeper than that, using the embodiment "two who are one". They need constant physical reassurance that the other is near them, so lots of cuddling and nuzzling and touching.<em>

_Unn cannot imagine living without Flupp, as the same with Flupp. They cannot bear to be separated for longer than absolutely necessary, and even then they will not part. _

_So I hope I might have cleared a thing or two up, thouuuuuuuuugh I probably didn't. It's hard to explain, but I hope I can portray it well enough in future chapters. I ever do so enjoy feedback, so don't be afraid to leave reviews! Thanks!_


	3. Followers and Intruders

_After a long wait, chapter 3! Again, thanks to **CuriosityRedux's** fantastic proofreading. _

_Crossposted to tumblr, and also with a bit of artwork done for the chapter! My username is same as here, so please check it out!_

_Enjoy, and please leave a review if you like it!_

* * *

><p>He was definitely a Viking. That much Unn was sure about.<p>

The smaller dragon grumbled to herself as she was lost in thought, swaying side to side idly with each step Flupp took as she was seated on his back.

The intruder may have been shaped a bit differently than most other Vikings, and he may have somehow managed to win over both the Sea-cousins AND Mother-of-Nest, but there was no tricking her.

He was far too loud to be anything but a Viking. Even after they had landed in the forest far off from the beach, she had heard his yelling echo all the way through the trees. Unn had felt a pang of worry for Mother-of-Nest, but she knew the spiked dragon could protect herself. The stupid Viking couldn't even stand properly, so he was no match for her.

They walked back to their nest, chittering _irritated offended angry, _together at many things. Angry that the Sea-cousins had brought a Viking to their home. Offended that Mother-of-Nest had taken the Viking's side. Irritated that the Viking hadn't died.

But while they felt those things, there was now nothing they could change about it. All they could do was deal with what had happened. They took comfort in that there was no way that the one-legged Viking could come looking for them. Eventually, even Mother-of-Nest would get bored with her new plaything, and the Viking would be left to die on the beach.

Perhaps of starvation. Would be a fitting slow end to a Viking. Or lack of clean water. That would be good too.

Unn whistled to Flupp to remind him to warn the small-cousins to stay away from the Viking's body when it died. Viking flesh tasted bad, and it wouldn't do the nest any good to have any nest-mates get sick from being too curious.

The two of them chuckled and growled at each other as they walked, Unn rumbling out impressions of the angry Viking and waving her forelegs about like he did in a silly manner.

Coming up to their nest, Unn climbed down from their flying-with and began untying the straps that held it in place. Scratching her dragon-brother's scales that had been rubbed sore by the saddle, Unn hummed to him, _Safe good home nest safe happy scratchitch good?_

_Ye-s-s-s-s scratchitch good good good more_, he crooned delightedly, shivering from nose to tail with pleasure. Unn happily complied, and Flupp collapsed to the grass at her back paws. Unn climbed ontop of him, scratching and rubbing and itch-itch-itch-ing away at her dragon-brother's smooth scales. Flupp's multiple legs stretched and kicked out in playful delight, knocking the flying-with across the ground and away from their antics.

Soon enough Unn's front paws started to get sore, and she gave Flupp a few pats on the neck while chirping _no scratchitch no more paws sore sorry_. He moaned in disappointment, but allowed Unn to climb off of him before he got back up on his feet, giving himself a good shake all over.

In a much better mood than before, the two of them tromped over to their cave, Unn climbing up into their home while Flupp curled up in the sunshine outside.

A short while later, a familiar roar is heard, and Unn pokeed her head outside of the cave fast enough to catch the rest of their nestmates returning from their hunt.

She yelped excitedly to her nestmates as they fled overhead, some landing for a short moment to snuffle a greeting to her before flying off to their respective caves. Just before Unn climbed back into her cave to run into the heart of the nest, Flupp whistled for her to stop, and was followed up by a crooning grumble from a different dragon.

Unn skipped up to the large Fire-skin-cousin that had just landed, shrieking out in delight. The Fire-skin-cousin grumbled at the smaller dragon in greeting, smiling a dragon-grin around a mouthful of dead little-hoppers.

_Flying-Bright-Fire hunt good! little-hoppers good yes yes yes! _Unn sang delightedly, curling and crawling under and around the larger dragon's wide chin.

Flying-Bright-Fire dropped the little-hoppers to the grass, rumbling out, _yes good hunt me good best!_, while puffing out her chest proudly.

Unn just laughed as Flupp looked on unimpressed, snorting in disagreement. Flying-Bright-Fire took that as a challenge and stepped towards Flupp, Unn scurrying to get out from under the larger dragon's paws. She was used to darting between her nestmates larger paws, having learned early on that being stepped on by a nearly one-ton dragon was not fun.

The two larger dragon engage in a good-natured argument, Flupp balking at Flying-Bright-Fire's boasting as she blew proud smoke rings at him.

Off to one side, Unn inspected the little-hoppers. Aside from a bit of dragon drool, they're delightfully unsinged. It took Flying-Bright-Fire many days to be good at hunting little-hoppers without burning them to a crisp, Unn being the one who taught the Fire-skin-cousin how to hunt them.

Placing the little-hoppers on a nearby flat rock, Unn shrugged off her fur cloak. Pulling her forelegs out from the loops that helped tie her furs to her body, she tossed the furs into the lip of the cave, the mask tied to the hood clattering against the stone.

Unn then began taking off more pieces to her outfit - she did not want to get blood or innards on them while cleaning and skinning the long-ears. She unlaced the sleeves of fur and leather that were strapped to her forelegs, untying her sharp-claws from their places on her upper forelegs, and unbucking the enormous Viking belt that was tied around her midriff. She placed those all in a heap with her fur cloak, and finally stripped off the baggy shirt that she wore.

Everything that she wore aside from the furs were things she had pilfered from Vikings in the past, not liking having to wear things made by Vikings but knowing the material would keep her safer and warmer. Her heart-fire was still small, and she could not breathe fire yet, so unlike her dragon-brother who had no need for such things as cloth and leather and furs, she wore them to make herself better.

Her upper half was now bare save for the long strips of cloth that she tied around her chest, to protect and tie down the mounds of flesh that grew there. It was a bother when they bounced and moved about painfully when flying or roughhousing, so she tied them up. They've only really become a problem in the past few years, but nothing she couldn't handle.

While she had been shedding her skins, Flupp and Flying-Bright-Fire had come to an impasse, as they always did. The two dragons bumped noses good-naturedly, and the Fire-skin-cousin turned to nuzzle and croon to Unn before taking off to her own cave.

Unn chirred to Flupp, who hummed back comfortingly before settling back into the grass to resume his sunning. Pulling out the bone sharp-claws from their sheathes, she turned to the little-hoppers on the rock, and set to cleaning them.

* * *

><p>"Okay, could you please slow down? I've only got one good leg here." Hiccup chuckled tiredly as the friendly Nadder chortled and chirped at him, dipping and darting around trees delightedly as he hobbled along at a much slower pace.<p>

Hiccup was getting more used to walking with the stick, though it wasn't easy and, admittedly, his hands were starting to get sore. He tried to keep up a good pace though, not wanting to be left behind.

Placing the stick in the ground ahead of him, he'd lean against it with all his weight - praying with each step that it wouldn't snap under him - and hop forward with his good foot. Then he'd place the stick in the ground ahead of him again, and hop forward in another step. Stick, hop. Stick, hop. Not attractive, but it worked. Better than trying to crawl about on all fours.

And at least this time he wasn't in excruciating pain from trying to walk on a barely healed amputated stump.

"Maybe I could try to fashion together some sort of... makeshift pegleg thing if you'd give me a chance to rest! Not like this forest is in any shortage of sticks." he muttered, balancing on his good leg and knocking a few old branches aside that littered the forest floor.

The Nadder had led Hiccup around the beach to a opening in the cliffs nearly on the opposite side of the island. The cliffs looked like someone long ago had scooped out a large section with a bowl, leaving a smooth incline to the main part of the island. Even from the beach Hiccup could see that the trees were huge - an enormous, lush forest unlike one he'd ever seen. In the distance a large mountain could be seen reaching for the skies, tall enough that the tip was snow-dusted and encircled by clouds.

How he and Toothless had missed such a beautiful island, he did not know. It certainly wasn't a tiny island. But he never recalled seeing one like that before in his travels, and they would have undoubtedly stopped to check it out.

As such, he was now tentatively exploring the island on his own - well, if alone entailed of a brightly colored Nadder that seemed to find his missing-leggedness endearing, and a possibly extremely aggressive, crazy wild person with a equally aggressive dragon.

Couldn't get any better.

Hiccup sighed to himself as he hobbled along, losing himself to his thoughts as the Nadder darted in and out of sight. He thought of Toothless - how he'd love running about through the trees the same way if he was here. If he ever would... Hiccup's heart dropped to his stomach again as it had at least a dozen times since he had woken up. The sounds of Toothless' terrified screaming as he was ripped away from him echoed through his ears once more, but Hiccup set his jaw and shook his head.

No use moping. If there was any chance of Toothless surviving - and him - he'd have to press on. First thing he'd need would be a dragon that was actually willing to fly him home - the Nadder, however friendly, had demonstrated multiple times now that flying was not an option with her.

He stopped and looked up at the sky - with each step the mountain loomed closer, looking even more enormous if possible. It rivaled the peaks of Berk in size, possibly even eclipsing it by a few leagues. From where he stood, it didn't appear to have quite as much snow at the tip however, so it could just be wider instead of taller. It'd be exciting to fly around it and explore all the small tree-coated ledges and cliffs that climbed up the side of the mountain.

"Hey, now that I think of it, you're not trying to lead me into some sort of... I dunno, really dangerous... situation or anything, are you?" Hiccup chuckled. "Y'know - giant pits of lava, hungry dragon queens, cannibalistic barbarian villages... All great fun, but not so enjoyable for me."

His smile slipped from his face when no replying squawk was heard, nor flash of bright turquoise through the underbrush that could be seen when he lifted his head and looked into the forest.

"H-Hey! Don't leave me now, that's not fair!" he sputtered, and clumsily picked up the pace, being less cautious of where he put his stick and foot. His chest lightened as through the trees he caught glimpses of a clearing and bright turquoise scales, also hearing the familiar sounds of the Nadder.

"Hey you! Thanks, but no thanks for leaving me be - !" Hiccup rounded a tree, a scolding on the tip of his tongue, but next thing he knew he was pitching face-first to the grass with his good foot tangled up in something.

Instinctively he let go of the stick and flailed his arms out, managing to catch himself mostly before he kissed dirt. He still hit the ground with a solid thud, and the wind was knocked out of him.

A violent hissing filled his ears, and he looked up to a furious pair of bright blue eyes that filled his vision.

Hiccup quickly scrambled to his knees and flung himself backward away from the eyes and fangs that snapped where his head had just been, and next thing he knew everything was hissing, screeching, and dragon scales as he crawled back towards the treeline, pressing himself against a trunk.

The forest gave way to a fairly wide clearing at the base of a cliff, which shot upwards vertically and was littered with caves. The surrounding trees were so large that they completely hid the cliff from ground view, creating a solid barricade.

Dancing about inches from his toes was the friendly Nadder - he really had to give her a name - and the strange, serpentine dragon from before. The Nadder was squawking and shrieking, flapping her wings about in a very panicked manner as she tried to keep the other absolutely furious dragon at bay. They hissed at each other in a loud argument, one that clearly had his life on the line.

Catching his breath, Hiccup groped for his stick, which had fallen to the wayside with his eyes locked on the dragons fighting in front of him. Not like he could make a quick getaway if he needed to, but it brought a little comfort having the stick beside him. His fingers brushed across leather instead of wood however, and he looked down to see his fingers splayed across a patchwork saddle - the same one he remembered seeing strapped to the serpentine dragon before. It must have been what he had tripped on, not looking where he was going in his panic.

An angry shriek split through the air, and Hiccup snatched his fingers away from the saddle like they burned.

Whipping his head around the first thing he saw was blood - blood covered hands that clutched at a dagger. Second thing was white, lightly scarred skin. The last thing that registered was a furious expression that glowered at him, with teeth bared.

He squished himself against the bark as far as he could. Before him crouched an absolutely spitting angry human with blood covered hands, wearing nothing but a pair of baggy trousers that were tied at their waist, a pair of tall fur covered boots, and weathered strips of cloth bound across their chest.

The human danced and bounced around a few feet away from him with their - her, obviously from the bindings across her chest - dagger at the ready, clearly furious but apprehensive to get any closer. Behind them, the dragons had been distracted from their fight but had reached an impasse - the Nadder wasn't moving, and neither was the serpentine dragon.

The serpentine dragon growled warningly at the girl, who snapped right back at it without removing her gaze from Hiccup's face.

Hiccup swallowed hard. Dragons he can deal with.

Crazy nutjob blood-covered people? Not so much.

"H-h-hey! S-sorry that I-I'm here, you know I just - I was just f-following her -the Nadder - and you know... tripped... Hard to walk without a foot, right?" he laughed nervously, voice a few octaves higher than normal.

The girl eyed him warily, eyes bright and feral under a mop of badly-cut dirty brown hair. It looked she had taken her dagger to her hair at some point - Hiccup didn't doubt that she had.

In the heartbeats that followed, Hiccup took in the girl's appearance and his surroundings. A few feet behind the girl on a rock laid what appeared to be half-cleaned rabbits - that explained the bloody hands.

And perhaps the... lesser state of clothing. Hard for Hiccup to blush at the girls half-nudity when she was practically waving a dagger right under his nose. Her face was hard to make out through the dirt and choppy fringe - and the dragonesque snarl that was gracing her features.

Her body was lean, skinny but packed with muscle, and covered in scars and new and healing bruises. She crouched on her toes in an animal like manner, ready to pounce and attack at a second's notice.

Hiccup swallowed again, and began raising his hands shakily. This earned a vicious hiss that tore from between the girl's bared teeth, and he flailed his open hands about.

"Nononono! I-it's ok! I won't hurt you! I promise!" he swore, palms open. As the girl's eyes glared into his own, he felt the cool tingle of recognition wash over him. He took a few calming breaths, the girl following every movement like a wary dragon would.

Exactly like a wary dragon would.

"Look... I'm not going to hurt you." He said, keeping his voice low and as calm as he could, and ducking his head below the wild girl's. "I know you probably don't believe me, and I don't blame you. But I need you to calm down, please?"

Hiccup wished again that Inferno was in working order. As he had earlier discovered during an inspection of his armor and gadgets, Inferno had gotten waterlogged. The inner chamber had been washed out by seawater so it couldn't ignite, and the flint for the gas absolutely soaked.

A few tense seconds passed, neither Hiccup nor the girl breaking eye contact.

With a snort, the girl relaxed slightly and turned away from Hiccup. He let out an immense sigh - not what he had been planning for, but much better than a dagger in the chest.

The Nadder glanced between Hiccup and the girl nervously a few times before sidestepping towards Hiccup, coming up behind him and nudging and sniffing at him worriedly.

"Hi again, glad to see you didn't forget about me!" Hiccup murmured quietly, patting the Nadder gently on the snout.

The girl muttered something that sounded neither human nor kind, and loped back over to the rabbits on the rock. Her dragon glared scathingly at Hiccup once more before walking up behind the girl worriedly, making all sorts of concerned noises that she replied to in a similar manner.

Hiccup waited till the girl and the dragon seemed engrossed in each other, and he let himself relax a little.

He scowled up at the Nadder who looked down at him sheepishly.

"Look what you got me into! Why did you lead me here and not warn me, you naughty dragon!" he scolded, placing both hands on the dragons chin and shaking her head side to side lightly. The Nadder crooned apologetically, and pushed her snout into Hiccup's chest.

The wild girl glared at Hiccup over her shoulder at his scolding tone, but didn't make any moves besides finishing up her task. She tossed the bones and entrails of the rabbits off to one side, the rabbit's fur already having been cleaned and laid on a separate rock to dry.

Hiccup watched, fascinated, as she worked, shuffling around and moving about in a lupine manner. She seemed to be more comfortable on all fours than on two feet, her hands getting coated in dirt from the sticky blood that was drying on her skin.

She scowled at her hands and hauled herself into the mouth of the cave, where just inside was a wooden bucket. She dunked her hands into it, washing them off in the water that was obviously inside. Pushing her dragons muzzle out of the way playfully, who was shadowing her every movement as much as a giant snake dragon could, she picked the bucket up and walked to the edge of the clearing - obviously she could walk on two legs if she wished.

Dumping the soiled water into the grass, she turned to her dragon, who immediately began licking her all over. She shrieked and giggled as it licked at her palms and arms and chest, clearly not agreeing with her standard of clean.

Hiccup chuckled at their demeanor - reminded him of himself and Toothless. At the thought, he sighed again, letting his head fall back against the tree. Now, not only was he stuck with out a foot on a deserted island with a dragon that didn't want to fly him home, he was also stuck on an island with a seemingly crazy, dangerous feral girl and her pet dragon that hated his guts for no reason.

"What a great way to start a day." He mumbled, closing his eyes as the Nadder laid her snout in his lap.

* * *

><p><em>Ick ick ick clean no you stop clean clean!<em> Unn shrieked, giggling and laughing as Flupp licked her thoroughly. He finished up with a big lick from chin to forehead, coating her bangs in sticky dragon spit and causing them to point straight upwards.

_Good clean you now clean, _he chortled, satisfied with his work. Unn merely groaned at him, trying to wipe off the spit from her face but only succeeding in wiping around even more goo.

Deciding that it was a lost cause, she gave up, leaving the spit to dry on her skin. She didn't mind, really. It made her smell more like him, which was good.

Rolling to all fours and picking up the handle of the bucket in her mouth, she trotted back to their cave but stuck close to the cliff wall, giving the intruder a wide berth.

She did not like it. She did NOT like that the Viking was here. She had no clue how he was able to move so quickly with only one leg - they hadn't even smelled that he was near the nest until Flupp spotted him and shrieked out an alarm. Flupp had given Mother-of-Nest a good scolding for leading him to the nest - something extremely dangerous and stupid - so there was no need to press further. The Viking was here now, and that was that.

They just had to figure out a way to get rid of him.

That wouldn't be easy with Mother-of-Nest henning over the Viking like he was one of her hatchlings. She was currently preening - _preening!_ - the Viking, whom was letting her with an amused expression on his face.

Unn was confused by him. He was a Viking, but he didn't attack first - he actually submitted to Unn right away. His expression and body language was clear - he was trying to not be a threat. With that, it was obvious that he had no intention of attacking even if he could have.

She didn't like it, but she accepted the submission and allowed him to live. For now.

At the cave entrance, Unn began pulling back on her outer skins. She was well aware of the Viking watching her movements, just as she was watching his. She didn't look at him directly, but kept him in the corners of her vision at all times.

Vikings were scary. Vikings were dangerous. Vikings were tricky.

Unn finished pulling her foreleg wraps on, winding the strings around to tie them down and knotting it with her teeth. She looked over to her dragon-brother, whom was glaring unblinkingly at the Viking. She reached up and patted his snout to get his attention, bringing his head down to her level.

_Flupp-Unn good strong good we together careful_, she crooned, running her short-claws along his jaw. He mumbled back, _we careful yes yes viking bad we good, _ his eyes flitting from her to the Viking and back again.

Together they would be safe. Together they could figure out a way to get rid of the Viking and bring Mother-of-Nest back to her senses. Together they could do anything.

As she busied herself with scratching Flupp under his chin the way he liked it, she twitched when the Viking began speaking.

At least, that's what she thought he was doing. She couldn't understand most of the sounds he made - his voice was low, though it changed in pitch quite frequently, and it came out mostly through his nose.

She glanced at him at the word "_drakken_" - one that she knew was the Viking sound for dragon. She heard it often enough screamed at her nest-mates and herself on raids. He had his attention on Mother-of-Nest, whom was flopped on her side with her snout in his lap, crooning small sounds of _nice nice good nice_ to him.

Unn began busying herself, cleaning one of her sharp-claws of animal blood as she pretended to not be listening as she listened to him. She recognized more words - "_flaii_" which was easy enough to understand, and "_hoome_" which was the Viking word for nest.

She couldn't help but snort, making the Viking pause mid-sound as she quickly pretended she hadn't said anything.

Fly home? And how did he expect to do that? Sprout wings? Unn had wished for that many times - she was still waiting for hers to grow. He surely didn't expect to fly with her nest-mates like she did. Only dragons flew with other dragons.

He spouted off a new string of sounds, this time directed at Unn herself, which she ignored. She turned away, pulling Flupp with her and climbing into their cave. The Viking made more sounds, more urgent this time, like he was trying to get her attention.

She ignored him.

Flupp himself curled up on the ground directly in front of the cave mouth and kept guard, pointedly looking at the Viking and daring him to so much as sneeze.

If the Viking knew what was good for him, he'd either leave the island - or die, they weren't picky - and be quick about it.


End file.
